The Matrix Revelations
by Firebird 13
Summary: PostRevolutions: The peace Neo fought for is on the verge of shattering. Locke wants to destroy the Machines, The Merovingian sees the reprogrammed Matrix as a chance to gain untold power and in the ensuing chaos, The One must rise again.
1. Prologue

The Matrix Revelations

Prologue

For the first time in its history, the Mega-City lay under a clear blue sky, bearing no signs of the epic battle that had taken place the night before. A man wearing an unnaturally clean white suit stepped on to the grass; a grass that was soaked with the first early morning dew that the Matrix had ever seen. Slowly, the man walked up to a dark skinned woman wearing a green leather coat, sitting on a park bench, enjoying the change in scenery. As he approached, the woman in green greeted him with an amused smile.

"Well now, ain't this a surprise."

"You played a very dangerous game."

"Change always is," the woman replied calmly.

"Just how long do you think this peace is going to last?"

"As long as it can."

The man in white gave a sharp, twisted smile and turned to leave, but the woman in green wouldn't let him off the hook so easily.

"What about the others?"

"What others?" the man in white replied, clearly annoyed.

"The ones that want out."

"Obviously, they will be freed."

"I have your word?"

"What do you think I am?" The man in white shot back, "Human?"

As he left, the woman in green smiled and sat back in her bench. Suddenly, the warm voice of a little girl called out from her right.

"Oracle!"

Turning to the direction of the voice, the woman in green addressed as Oracle smiled as she saw the little girl she knew as Sati come running up to her followed by her long time friend and bodyguard, Seraph. Sati reached the Oracle and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"We were afraid we might not find you," Sati said as she released the Oracle.

"Everything's okay now," the Oracle reassured her.

"Look, look!" Sati cried excitedly, pointing to the horizon.

The Oracle and Seraph gazed in the direction Sati indicated and were greeted with the first, and most beautiful, sunrise the Matrix had ever seen. As the light shone through the spaces between the skyscrapers of the Mega-City, the few clouds that floated through the sky took on a multi-colored hue, only enhancing the natural beauty of a sunrise.

"Just look at that! Beautiful," the Oracle said as she eyed the sunrise, "Did you do that?"

Sati nodded.

"For Neo."

"That's nice. I know he'd love it."

"Will we ever see him again?" Sati asked, hopeful.

"I suspect so," the Oracle replied, "Someday."

The Oracle gathered up her purse and rose to leave and as she did so, Seraph asked her a question of his own.

"Did you always know?"

The Oracle looked at him, with a smile on her face.

"Oh no, no I didn't. But I believed…I believed."

With a small smile of understanding, Seraph joined Sati and the Oracle as they walked back to the Mega-City, the first true sunrise of the Matrix shining down on them.


	2. Summary

The Matrix Revelations

Summary

Two years have passed since the Siege of Zion. Much to the ire of Commander Jason Lock, the Deus Ex Machina, in response to Neo's request for peace, had taken The One at his word and sent an army of Sentinels aid the people of Zion in the reconstruction of their city. However, many of Zion's residents were grateful of the help, if initially wary of working side by side those machines that had so shortly before been trying to kill them.

In response to the Smith Epidemic, the Matrix was completely re-programmed and all of the inhabitants were informed of its truth. While there were a substantial number of people that decided to stay in the artificial world, there were also an overwhelming number of humans who demanded their freedom. It was given to them without question, but many Machines were worried that with such a loss of their human crop, they would no longer have enough energy to sustain their existence. As such, the Deus Ex Machina had a number of his machine researchers look into alternate sources of energy.

Meanwhile, the Merovingian sees the re-programming of the Matrix as his golden opportunity. In his never-ending quest for power, he sends his Exiles out into the artificial world to gauge how much the Matrix had changed. It is the sincere hope of the cunning program that he will be able to control even more of it than he already does.

Finally, those humans that the Machines freed from their captivity find themselves overcome with an immense level of disgust and sense of violation upon learning how the world they thought they knew became the world that they now live in. With a frightening level of universalism, they thirst for revenge against the Machines. With such turmoil both on the surface and beneath it, it is all Morpheus, Niobe, Link, Kid, and the other survivors can do to keep the newly freed in check. However, a discovery will soon be made by them that will forever change the course of history of both worlds.


	3. Chapter 1: Revival

The Matrix Revelations

Chapter 1:Revival

The ship was a beauty; there was no other way to describe it. As he paced the comfortably open corridors, Morpheus ran his dark skinned hand along the smooth metal walls. As his fingers slid over the smooth metal, Morpheus flashed back to the fateful night, almost exactly two years ago, when Sentinels had destroyed his first ship, the Nebachanezzer. The explosion had been like a gunshot right to his heart, but now, walking toward the cockpit, he could feel the wound completely heal. The ship he was on now, the Heart of Zion, was the first ship built after the Siege of Zion and served as the flagship for the slowly rebuilding fleet. It was a moderately sized ship built with speed and maneuverability in mind.

'A perfect craft for the perfect pilot," Morpheus thought as he approached the cockpit.

Upon his entry, he could see Niobe sitting in the pilot's seat, her hands gliding smoothly over the control yoke. She seemed completely in sync with her ship, the rumble of its engines becoming the beat of her heart. That was the reason she was such a phenomenal pilot; she didn't fly the ship, she became the ship. Morpheus sat down next to her in the co-pilot's seat, head lolling back into the headrest.

"You tired?" she asked him.

"Hmm?" Morpheus asked, looking at her, "No, no I'm not tired. I just…it feels like things have come full circle now. The war is over, a fact I'm still getting used to, and you and I are once again co-captains of a ship. It seems like things are finally back to where they should be."

Niobe smiled and nodded her agreement.

Morpheus smiled back and leaned back in his seat once more. He still didn't know how he felt about going back into the Matrix, but orders were orders. A messenger from the Machine City had contacted Zion and requested a meeting with their ambassador. Curious as to what the Machines could possibly want, the Council had ordered Commander Lock to send Morpheus and Niobe to meet with the Machine ambassador.

"We've reached broadcast depth," Niobe announced.

Morpheus sighed and got up to leave with Niobe right behind him. As they descended through their ship, Morpheus's mind was swirling around possible reasons why the Machines would want to talk to them. They ranged from the practical, like wanting help with tracking down an Exile to as insane as Smith coming back. Morpheus gave a slight shiver at that thought, remembering the last time he had come in contact with the Agent-gone-computer-virus.

When Morpheus and Niobe reached the operator's station, they were greeted warmly by Link.

"Alright Captains," he said, "Everything is ready for you guys to jack in."

"Good work Link," Niobe said as she walked over to her jack-in station.

"Where's Ghost?" Morpheus asked, noting the absence of Niobe's silent shadow.

"I'm right here," Ghost said, making his presence known. He was standing behind link, next to his jack-in station

Morpheus nodded as Link got out of his chair and walked around to plug him and Niobe in. Sure enough, when Morpheus looked to his left, he found Ghost already plugged in. He then felt the cold, slick sensation of his own plug being inserted and Morpheus closed his eyes. He then felt the familiar sensation of his mind easing away from his body and into the artificial reality of the Matrix.

-- (0) --

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in dimly lit room with Ghost and Niobe on either side of him. A phone rang off to his right and glanced over to it. Niobe followed his gaze and nodded at him. She answered the phone and when she heard Link's voice, she replied with two words.

"We're in."

She hung up the phone and the three of them left the room and walked out into the Mega-City. What they saw astounded them. Gone were the gray, dismal, overcast skies that they were used to. In their place was a crystal clear blue sky with only the smallest wisps of silver-white cloud snaked through the sky. Even the buildings themselves were more colorful, but in a much more subtle way. Quite simply, the Matrix now felt _alive_!

"Where are we meeting this guy?" Ghost asked.

"At Talko's Coffee House," Niobe said, "It's about two blocks ahead of us and the first shop on the right."

"Then let's go," Morpheus said as he began to walk forward.

The walk only took a handful of minutes, but in those minutes, Morpheus, Niobe, and Ghost could only stare in wonder at the changes that had taken place in the Matrix. Colors were vibrant instead of dull, pigeons and crows were flying in noticeably greater numbers, and the air had lost the taste and reek of industrial pollution. The residential district they were in was full of housing projects that had seen better days but even so, they now had a sense that they had been truly lived in.

The trio turned a corner and found themselves face to face with Talko's Coffee House. Ghost led the way in and the bell above the door gave a merry little tinkle as the trio walked in. The place was simple in appearance, looking like every other dime-a-dozen coffee house in history. However, it's newest occupants, Morpheus and Niobe, definitely looked out of place wearing sunglasses and their long coats Understandably, a fair share of interested looks were thrown their way. They ignored them however and soon found their target. A man wearing a pristine business suit with slicked back, dark brown hair, and a rather thin face sat at the booth in the far corner, next to the front window.

"Ah, Morpheus," he said jovially once he saw the approaching trio, "Niobe, Ghost, welcome. Please, sit down."

The trio did as indicated, with Ghost grabbing a leather-cushioned chair from the table behind him.

"I am the Ambassador. I am a program, as you might have guessed, created in order to act as a bridge between your Zion and our city."

"And what is the purpose of arranging this meeting, Ambassador?" Morpheus asked.

The Ambassador sighed.

"Your warrior, Neo. It is my understanding that the peace both of our races enjoy is in large, if not total, part to his efforts in destroying the virus, Smith. In exchange for the destruction of Smith, our leader, Deus Ex Machina, informed all humans currently living in the Matrix of the true nature of this world and gave them the choice of leaving to live in the real world, or staying in the Matrix. You have no doubt noticed that a great many people decided to stay. But I am afraid that the number of those who decided to leave is substantially greater. As such, we have lost a great deal of our main source of energy. We are currently looking into alternate sources of energy and our most feasible plan right now is to repair the sky and return to solar power."

"But why tell us this?" Niobe asked, "What does it matter?"

"Because we feel that, in the interest of peace, it would be best to adopt a policy of full disclosure. We Machines are beings of our word but we know that oftentimes, you humans are not. We also felt that it would be best to propose this policy with an example of something we are currently planning to show our honesty and commitment."

"And you want us to tell our Council about this policy and encourage them to adopt it," Morpheus asked.

"That would be ideal."

As the trio thought about their response, they noticed something very unusual. A handful of the vibrant green lines of code that comprise the Matrix scrawled across the table that the three humans and one program were sitting at. They followed the code-lines as they moved across everything in the coffee house and when they looked around, they noticed that they were everywhere, all moving in the same direction. When they looked out the window, they noticed the same phenomenon occurring on every surface they could see.

"What the hell is going on?" Ghost asked.

The Ambassador didn't have an answer and when Morpheus and Niobe picked up on that, they looked at Ghost and nodded. Before anyone could stop them, they left the coffee shop and followed the code-lines.

-- (0) --

Not too far away, behind a dilapidated and mostly deserted housing project, the thousands of code-lines reached their destination. In the center of a dry, brown field, those same code-lines began to swirl around, mixing together and swirling faster and faster. Soon, a small point of green light emerged at the point where the code-lines met. The more code-lines that merged with this light, the larger it became. Within seconds, this growing mass of light became more defined, taking on the appearance of a human body crouched down on the ground. The code-lines were swirling so fast now that they seemed to be little more than a blur and within seconds, all of them had merged with the mass of light. What happened next would have been completely unexpected by bystanders, although there were none. There was the sound of an explosion and a burst of force came from the human shaped mass of light. Everything within 30 feet of this light mass seemed to warp before returning to its normal shape. After that, the light mass was no longer light. It was a man and slowly, this man rose from his feet. Standing fairly tall at 6'2, wearing a sleeveless dark gray robe on top of a black, long-sleeved shirt with matching pants and shoes, this man had shoulder length black hair, a mustache of the same color that was little more than stubble, and gentle, chocolate brown eyes.

Slowly, this man looked around in wonder, as though looking at things that he knew couldn't be real. Suddenly, the man heard the sounds of running footsteps coming closer to his location and he turned around to see the runners come to a dead stop, looking at him in sheer disbelief. Slowly, the one in the middle that the man remembered as Morpheus walked forward and removed his sunglasses, looking as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Neo?"


	4. Chapter 2: Awakening

The Matrix Revelations

Chapter 2: Awakening

--(0)--

"Neo?"

The man addressed as Neo stepped backward, looking confused.

"Morpheus?" he asked.

Morpheus nodded, looking equally confused.

Neo looked away from him to gaze at his surroundings once more before looking toward the ground.

"So, I'm really here?" he asked, looking back at Morpheus.

"Yeah," Morpheus nodded, giving a small laugh of disbelief and joy.

"How?" he asked, a smile beginning to form on his face.

"I…I don't know."

Morpheus gave another small laugh and turned to Niobe.

"Niobe…"

But Niobe was two steps ahead of him. Morpheus had been going to ask Niobe to call Link but the amazing woman already had her cell phone pressed against her ear.

"Operator," Link said on the other end.

"Link, it's Niobe. Can you see what we see?"

"I don't know, what do you see?"

"I…I think it's Neo."

"What!? Neo!? Are you serious? I can see something with you guys but I couldn't tell it was NEO!!!"

Niobe grimaced and held the phone away from her ear.

"Alright," she said once Link had calmed down, "Well, we met with the Machine ambassador and are on our way back now."

"Alright, I've got an exit ready for you back in the building you guys entered the Matrix."

"Got it."

Niobe hung up her phone and slid it back in her pocket.

"Link has an exit ready for us, back where we entered the Matrix."

Morpheus nodded his agreement.

"I don't suppose you can come with us?" Morpheus asked Neo.

"I don't know," he replied, "I don't know much of anything right now. Even if I could, I don't think I would. I've still got to figure out how I'm here."

Morpheus nodded his understanding and turned to Niobe and Ghost who nodded back at him. They all knew that it was time for them to go. As they turned to leave, the sound of running footsteps came through the air once again and three people with spiky brown hair appeared on the sidewalk, wearing black pants, coats, and gray shirts.

"Aw shit," the lead one said when he saw Neo.

"Fuck, he's already here!" the second said, already backing away.

The third looked around desperately for a way out and soon found one. He ducked behind Niobe and whipped a handgun out of his coat before pressing it to her temple and trapping her in a tight headlock. His cohorts immediately followed his example and did the same to Morpheus and Ghost. Neo almost immediately dropped into an aggressive fighting stance but the brown haired goon who grabbed Morpheus spoke before Neo could do anything.

"Don't even think about trying anything!" Goon 1 barked, "The minute you do, and we'll put bullets in their heads."

"What do you want?" Neo demanded.

"You're coming with us," Goon 1 said back, a smile on his face, "There's a very powerful person who wants to speak with you."

As Goon 1's smile widened, Neo could see that his canines were actually fangs. It didn't take Neo long to put two and two together.

"Let me guess," he said, somewhat sarcastically, "The Merovingian?"

The Goons looked surprised that Neo had figured out who had sent them.

"Well tell him that I'm busy. I've got other people I need to talk to."

'I hope I still have my powers,' Neo thought as he threw his right hand into the air.

Almost at once, the guns the Goons had pointed at the heads of Morpheus, Niobe, and Ghost flew into Neo's hands. The Goons released their hostages in surprise and then Neo made his move. Releasing the guns and launching himself forward, Neo found himself immediately hovering between Goons 1 (who had Morpheus) and 2(who had Ghost) with 1 on his left and 2 on his right. Before they could react, Neo thrust his legs out to the sides and slammed his feet into the sides of Goon 1 and 2's heads. Neo then flipped over in the air and slammed the front of his foot into Goon 1's face, sending the Goon into concrete with so much force that it caved in. Immediately after that, Neo grabbed the top of Goon 3's head and flipped over the Goon to land on the ground. In the same motion, Neo used his momentum and hurled Goon 3 thirty feet through the air, sending him crashing through the brick corner of a nearby building. Neo heard a soft groan from behind him and turned to see Goon 2 getting back to his feet, albeit _very_ slowly. Giving a soft "tch" of annoyance, Neo held out his left hand and one of the Goon's guns flew into his hand. Leveling the weapon at the recovering Goon, Neo centered it on his forehead and pulled the trigger. The Goon was dead before the sound of the bang had stopped echoing.

"Well, now that that's over," Neo said, tossing the gun to the side.

"Neo?" Morpheus asked.

Neo turned to face him, a small look of curiosity on his face.

"Are you aware of what you just did?"

"I just…reacted."

"Neo, when you freed us, you disappeared and then reappeared almost instantly between the two that were holding me and Ghost."

"I did?" Neo asked.

Morpheus nodded.

Neo looked away. That was something he had never done before, something he _couldn't_ do before. And then there were those Goons knowing he would be where he was, when he didn't even know it himself! He needed to find out what was happening and he need to do it now.

"I'm…sorry Morpheus, but I have to go. Now!"

"But, Neo…" Morpheus said, reaching out to hold him back.

But Neo didn't listen. Instead, he crouched low to the ground, which warped outward before Neo shot himself upward at a ludicrous speed, flying off to a destination that was unknown to the shocked and amazed trio.

As Morpheus, Niobe, and Ghost walked to their exit, Neo soared through the skies above the Mega-City. He knew exactly where he was going, because when it came to matters like this, there was only one person in the Matrix who could possibly have any answers.

The Oracle.

Neo arrived at her apartment building in next to no time and landed solidly on the roof. After a quick walk to her apartment, Neo eased the door open and the smell of fresh cookies almost instantly filled his nostrils. Walking into the kitchen, Neo saw a sight that reminded him all too well of his second to last visit to the Matrix. The Oracle was sitting in front of the oven, a tin of fresh cookies in her hand, and the littler program girl named Sati was standing next to her. Sati noticed him first.

"NEO!!!" she cried, running up to him and wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Hey Sati," Neo said, lightly returning the girl's hug.

"Well," the Oracle said upon turning to face Neo, "I actually managed to get them done this time."

Sati released Neo and stepped to his left so he could approach the Oracle.

"You were expecting me?"

"I had a hunch," she answered, smiling gently.

"The Oracle said we'd see you again," Sati piped up.

"You did?" Neo said, a slight smile on his face.

A returned smile from the Oracle as she placed the tin on the counter was his only answer.

Looking down at Sati, Neo placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Sati, can you go into the other room for a minute? The Oracle and I have some serious stuff to talk about."

"Oh, ok."

Sati skipped off and Neo stood straight up, facing the Oracle once more.

"Do you know what's going on?"

"I have my ideas."

"Would you care to share them?"

The Oracle leaned back in her chair lit one of her cigarettes. After taking a long drag from it and exhaling, she spoke.

"When Smith was deleted, the damage he did to the Matrix could only be repaired through a massive reprogramming. That's why you can look outside and feel as though the Matrix is actually alive. However, certain individuals feel that this is the prime time to gain even more power."

"The Merovingian."

The Oracle nodded.

"He and his army of Exiles have been causing all sorts of havoc in this world. That's my guess as to why you were brought back, to stop him."

A look of disgust suddenly rose onto Neo's face.

"So that's it? I was brought back by the Machines to do their dirty work? Isn't that the job of the Agents?"

"There aren't enough of them."

"Well then, couldn't the Machines just make more?" Neo shot back irritably.

"It's not that simple Neo."

"Why not?"

The irritation in Neo's voice had now begun to blossom into full-blown anger and the Oracle found herself, for once, surprised.

"What's wrong Neo?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"What? You mean you can't tell?"

A slightly twisted smile worked its way into Neo's expression and the Oracle responded with a questioning stare. When Neo spoke, his voice tasted of the same twisted sarcasm his smile forewarned.

"Oh, right. Program. I guess I shouldn't expect you to understand."

Neo gave a small laugh as he shook his head and then the Oracle understood. Trinity had been the one supporting him in his final battle with Smith. When he was battered and broken at the bottom of that crater, it had been the image of Trinity that had given Neo the will to get back on his feet. Morpheus and the others had been there as well, but it had been Trinity, and the knowledge of what she would've wanted him to do, that had made Neo push his beaten body off the muddy ground. This was why the Oracle's words were generating such uncharacteristic bitterness; without Trinity, Neo had no real motivation to do anything.

'Death must've been infinitely preferable to this,' the Oracle mused.

Exasperated, Neo placed his face in his hands and let himself fall backward, as though into a chair. The Oracle was about to call out to him, when miraculously, green lines of Matrix-code sprouted from her floor and almost instantly materialized into a chair that Neo subsequently collapsed into.

"I'm sorry Oracle, I shouldn't have said that," Neo said, his tone shining with sincerity, "It's just that…"

Neo took a sigh and looked out the window over the Oracle's sink. A silence hung in the air and the Oracle made no effort to break it. She knew Neo would speak eventually, and he would do it when he was ready.

"It's just that it's hard for me to really care without Trinity."

The Oracle nodded her understanding. After a moment, Neo spoke again.

"So," he said, trying to sound off-hand, "What's going on with the Merovingian?"

The Oracle took another drag on the cigarette and then tapped the ashes into her small yellow tray.

"When the Matrix was reprogrammed, the part of its code that comprises you was spread throughout it. That's why the Matrix has been restored to the way it was originally intended to be, because it's what part of your subconscious wanted. Am I wrong?"

"…No."

Neo thought back to the last night he remembered, when he confronted the Deus Ex Machina. He had been sick of the fighting, and wanted both worlds to have the peace he knew they deserved. After a moment, the Oracle continued.

"After the reprogramming, the Merovingian decided now would be the perfect time to make his long held dream a reality."

"And what dream is that?"

"Do you remember what I asked you before you first met him? 'What do all men with power want?'"

Neo gave a small smile as he lowered his head, eyes closed.

"More power."

The Oracle nodded.

"So now I've got to stop him before he takes over the Matrix?"

The Oracle nodded once more.

"And that's why his henchmen arrived almost the minute you did. The Merovingian was expecting you. He knew that the Machines wouldn't take the risk of resurrecting Smith and he also knew that the Machines knew that you'd be the only one besides Smith who could stop him."

Neo gave a heavy sigh and hung his head. Once again, to his overwhelming dismay, it seemed that the unbearable weight of the world had fallen on his shoulders. He looked back up at the Oracle to speak, but found the words would not come as easily as he liked.

"I… I…gah, I don't know if I can do this again Oracle. Last time I had something to fight for, and I ended up loosing her anyway. Now, I…"

Once again, Neo's words were cut short. This time however, it was by the pang of emptiness he felt when he remembered Trinity once more.

"It's alright Neo," The Oracle said kindly, "I know you need your time, but I will tell you that the Merovingian will not let you off so easily. If you won't join him, he'll do his best to kill you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

The Oracle smiled as Neo got up to leave. But when Neo seemingly ignored the chair he had conjured, the Oracle decided that she better let him know about it.

"Neo, are you aware that you conjured that chair from the code of the Matrix?"

Neo stopped in his tracks, and looked down at the chair he had been sitting in with amazement.

"No."

The Oracle knitted her brow, pondering the possible causes of Neo's new powers, and Neo gazed at her expectantly.

"You know," Neo said, suddenly remembering something, "Morpheus said that when I freed him from some of the Merovingian's goons, I disappeared only to instantly reappear somewhere else. I couldn't do that before."

"It is possible," the Oracle said slowly, "That you spent so much time as part of the Matrix that your subconscious learned how to manipulate the code of the Matrix on the most basic of levels."

"So…" Neo said slowly, unsure as to what the Oracle meant, "I can do what? Turn anything into anything?"

The Oracle smiled a wry smile.

"If I'm right, you can do anything you want to."


End file.
